Insanity
by parachute hearts
Summary: "Josh?" she asked, letting the words flow from the back of her mouth into the air, then it fell into silence. / When you go crazy, it makes everything around you crazy too. AU


**Your Christmas present!**

**Sorry, I know I should be updating my multi-chaps but I'm really addicted to one-shots right now. Plus, this is crap. But stay with me XD. **

**This is kind of similar to within a sepluchre's something's odd. Sorry about that.**

**Oh, and I am kind of obsessed with Claire right now so I keep putting her with random people. But I'm in a Closh mood(:**

Claire Lyon's house was avoided. It was a stunning white escalade in the center of town, next to those other perfect houses people would dream of. The kind of house that was just nice and loved people, even the fuck-ups, that were just naïve and shit and _gives out cookies every Tuesday morning_ kind of house that was liked.

But it wasn't. The whole town of Westchester was sunny but her house. There was a murky, black shadow cast over it, a fucking downer to all of human civilization.

And it was her fault. She was crazy.

.flashback.

_The girl you see everywhere, the girl with that silky- down to the waist- fucking amazing light hair that cascaded down her milky back, glided down the aisle, her hair in a half up-half down do' that drove people horny and all that crap._

_Her dress was modest, thin cut, white as the clouds lace that lined her shoulders down to the lower back, then flowed down straight to her feet and to white peep-toe heels. _

_And she had no make-up on. She didn't need it._

_With her thin arm locked with her smiling fathers (who would've thought, she's only 18), she reached the end of aisle, and waved lightly to the huge audience, complete with her best friend with the tan Spanish skin and her little brother, who was 15 and had already knocked up the popular girl with the amber eyes in her senior year. Taking a deep breath, she gazed into the odd eyes of her supposed-to-be husband, the guy who proposed too early, with the wavy black hair, who was an uneven match to her._

_But halfway through the vows, their was a crash outside the simple church's door, and everyone's heads turned towards the interruption. Fuck no, not now. _

_All anyone heard next was the safety unlock of a gun. The silence after was eerie, not like it should be after you hear the safety unlock of a gun at a wedding. Then there was a boom of a bullet. Finally the fucking perfect bride's shrilly scream, and the heads turned to the front._

_The groom was dead._

_And the bride, mentally too._

.end of flashback.

Claire curled up into a ball on her dirty gray couch, squeezing her bright eyes as if that would help with the memory.

It had hurt her. And she wasn't the same.

But then the doorbell rang, piercing the silence. Claire raised her head, to see if she had heard right, and there was again.

A light ding, stopping time.

Slowly standing up, limp, but standing, she tip-toed over to the door and peered through the peephole.

A boy Claire hadn't seen or spoken to in a long time stood there. She hadn't spoken to much anyone, but she blinked slowly to register the present never the less.

.

Josh stood in front of the Lyon's front door patiently, ignoring intently the strange stares the neighbor gave him. Yes, he was fucking here. He didn't know why either.

It was a year after everything, and Josh still waited in front of that door. He stood there for six whole minutes, and just when he was about to give up and turn around, leave, and forget he was even here, he heard the click of the door.

Widening his brown eyes (which he had always hated. He wanted odd eyes like his friend, his gone friend), he muttered under his breath, suddenly seeing the door creak open.

In front of him stood a girl.

He didn't remember her, though. He remembered the girl with that silky- down to the waist- fucking amazing light hair that cascaded down her milky back, with the bright blue eyes, and pale but smooth skin and the baby pink lips, the rosy cheeks. The girl who was friendly and said hi to everyone, even if she didn't know them.

But here was another girl. Her hair was still blonde, flipped over to one side in wispy waves and her skin was cracked and too pale. Lips white and cheeks ghostly, he wondered if he was seeing her correctly.

It was as if her, and her entire house, were black and white, but her eyes were still a bright blue. A fucking picture of art that was all too real.

"Josh?" she whispered, letting the word flow from the back of the mouth into the air, then it fell into silence.

He looked down.

Claire opened the door wider to let him in, and he stepped inside.

It was black and white, at least in his eyes. Clean and tidy but black and white. Shit, the only thing irregular thing he saw was a neatly folded pink sweater on the counter.

She stood nimbly next to him, clutching her too-thin-to-be-healthy arm and just stood there. He looked at her, but she just stood there.

"What are you doing here?" she uttered, softly but loud at the same time.

"I haven't seen you in two years." he whispered, too afraid to say anything else.

Two minutes later, a sound struck the air. "Really, though, why are you here? Everyone hates me. I thought you did too." she sat on the black and white couch and brought her knees to her chest.

Josh sat down next to her, closer than he would've thought. "I don't hate you."

She didn't say anything for a while. And then, "Josh, why do people die?" her voice was suddenly cold and quivered.

"What?"

"Why do we die?" Claire's vivid eyes were now dull.

"Claire, why are you asking me this?" his voice shook.

"Just answer the question!" she screeched, standing up.

"I don't-"

"Answer!"

Confused, Josh bit his lip. He knew she was crazy but…he never actually believed it.

"I guess when we die, its because we're ready to, like we fulfilled life's purpose."

Claire scrunched up her features and sat back down next to him. But Josh suddenly had the urge to get up and run, run anywhere away from where he was.

"I know your scared." her voice cracking. Gulping, Josh looked down.

"I'm not-" he started hesitantly into the silence, but was cut off by Claire.

"Would you like some tea?"

Josh was about to literally sprint away, but then he stopped. And he smiled.

"Sure. I'd love some."

.

From that day on, Josh went to visit Claire every fucking day. He sometimes brought her favorite food, oatmeal raison cookies that he bought from her favorite bakery, Gourmet Au Lait. But as cheesy as it sounds, he always brought a smile for her and slowly she was recovering; getting lighter.

Claire Lyons was getting better.

But then one day, on the 13th of October, and oddly enough it was a Friday, something had changed.

When she opened the door, she was that same white girl he saw that day.

"Claire- you okay? You don't look so good."

"What are you talking about honey?"

Honey?

"Honey?" Josh whispered.

"What do you just _expect_ me to call you by your name? That's not what you _do_ when you married, honey!" Claire's eyes widened and faded.

"Are you okay?" he repeated, worried and afraid again. But stern.

"Did you know…that when people died, before, they were buried underground with a special ritual…and then they were wrapped up so they could live in the afterlife…happy. It was more than 3,000 years ago. But I believe people are still happy after they die." Stroking her cheek lightly, Claire blinked slowly and sighed dreamily. Josh took a step back.

"Claire…"

"I _know_ you love the color green, you already told me that. I like yellow because it's the color of happiness."

At this Josh straightened up, shoved past her and into her now black and white house. Claire slowly turned, confused.

"Josh, why are you that tired? Its so early."

He stopped walked towards the couch and faced her, "Its 11 at night."

"Are you okay Josh? Its light outside; look out the window."

Bowing his head, Josh reluctantly looked out the window. What he saw he didn't like, but it changed him, like when you suddenly remember something you've been trying to remember for ages. Like when your confused in school, but you suddenly just _get_ it. That feeling of being proud and willing to accept any more hardships that come your way.

It was dark outside, but it didn't have to be.

"You right, Claire, it is light out. Lets go get some oatmeal raison cookies."

"And watch the Young and the Restless all morning?"

Josh cracked a grin.

"Of course."

And then something happened that hadn't happened in a long, long time. Claire Lyons smiled.

After 20 minutes, the two sat side by side on the couch, munching on cookies and watching cheesy soap operas.

"Hey Josh?" Claire asked, looking at him with big eyes.

"Yeah?"

"I love you, honey."

Chuckling, Josh refrained himself from shaking his head.

"I love you too, sweetie."


End file.
